In 2013 the club almost went bankrupt, the fans formed a trust and bought it. The Independent proposes to make it a business model
In 2013, the Hearts, for the first time in the Scottish league after four days, were only a stone away from liquidation. Now They are the biggest fan-owned football team the UK has ever seen. The classic story that in Italy we would translate as “dream” or “miracle”. free tells it, with related social analysis.
The 8,000 fans officially own the club through the Foundation of Hearts Supporters Trust.. But hearts are “important to a much larger community. In modern Britain, football clubs are unmatched community institutions. They are social centres, institutions of economic anchor, engines of civic pride and heroes of local action. They create shared values that are their charities go far beyond what they provide: food banks, vaccination campaigns etc. In many cases, they are the glue that holds a community together”.
“Something amazing has happened to Hearts: fans have come together to buy clubs and avert disaster”. Which is actually a very complicated operation. “Possible Thanks to a Local Entrepreneur: Ann Budge”.
The Independent explains: “Buyers of a professional football team not only need large sums of money, they often need it immediately. When fans come together in Supporters Trusts, their strength comes in numbers, they can raise significant money through membership dues. In addition, the source of income is relatively constant: fans are fans forever. But a supporters trust does not necessarily have the ability to raise the capital needed to finance an acquisition when needed. In Hearts, Ann Bazz came into play. who have put £2.5 million out of their own pockets to complete the deal, with fans who have promised to pay it back little by little through an annual subscription fee”.
The happy ending lies in the story: “Hearts grow, fans have their own club, and N’ Buzz gets its money back.”
“Took”Community-owned work no matter how you look at it. For the club it means survival, security and stability, for the fans it means that their club is run by actual patrons and not distant owners, and for society in general it means being at the heart of the community. A great organization which is committed to make social. value “.
Why not make it an exemplary modelThe newspaper asks. Providing equal support to each pro-trust with a reasonable business plan and a realistic possibility of paying it back. Apart from SuperLiga.
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